


Experienced vs Not-So-Experienced: The Hardships of Babysitting

by kpopismydrug, teaseofnight



Series: The Alpha Series [9]
Category: SHINee, So Nyuh Shi Dae | Girls' Generation, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-13 10:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1223650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpopismydrug/pseuds/kpopismydrug, https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaseofnight/pseuds/teaseofnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Donghae is asked to babysit, Kyuhyun is soon smacked in the face with reality at seeing his mate with a child. As the week goes by, Kyuhyun’s left to face what his future is going to entail, or not entail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Experienced vs Not-So-Experienced: The Hardships of Babysitting

 

 

 

 

“You want us to do what now?”

 

Donghae gazed at the woman sitting across from him, taking in the shy smile she was giving him. When he received a call from her earlier this morning, the last thing he expected was for her to ask him out to lunch, claiming she had a favor to ask of him.

 

Imagine his surprise once he learned what the favor was.

 

“Please, Oppa?” Taeyeon pleaded, clapping her hands together as she looked at him pleadingly. “Just for a week! I wouldn’t be asking you if I wasn’t so desperate.”

 

Sighing softly, Donghae looked over at the baby sleeping peacefully in her stroller. The sight of the babe made him smile slightly, finding her adorable that even his wolf cooed at the sight of her. He knew he was immediately caught when he heard the baby make cooing sounds.

 

He looked back at Taeyeon, who was still looking at him with begging eyes.

 

He sighed. “Alright,” he agreed. “But just for a week.”

 

Taeyeon managed a little squeal, reaching over the table to hug him tightly. ‘Thank you, Oppa! You have no idea how much you just saved me just now!”

 

Only managing to nod dumbly, Donghae could only watch Taeyeon kiss the top of her baby’s head, bidding him goodbye after giving him a set of directions to follow along with the baby’s supplies and hurried out of the restaurant with her luggage.

 

Blinking slowly, Donghae looked over at the baby, whom was still sleeping peacefully.

 

He wondered how Kyuhyun would handle this.

  


 

 

 

“No.”

 

“Kyu, come on,” Donghae whined, carrying the baby in his arms as she snuggled against his chest. He followed after his mate, who decided it was a good idea to flee into the kitchen.

 

Kyuhyun stopped, turning around to look at his mate and then at the baby, who was staring at him with wide, dark brown eyes. He twitched. “I’m not good with kids, Hae. I never was. Especially not with babies!”

 

“I think you’re overreacting,” his mate muttered. “Wouldn’t it be good practice for you?”

 

The younger stared at him as if he was crazy. “Practice? Why would I need practice?”

 

Biting his tongue to hold back what he wanted to say, Donghae gave a light shrug. “In case we ever need to babysit again. But come on. You can’t deny the fact that she’s a darling.”

 

“She’s a baby!”

 

“And we’re supposed to take care of babies when their mothers have to go on business trips and couldn’t find anyone else to babysit,” Donghae retorted.

 

Kyuhyun shook his head in disbelief. “Are you insane? How could you even be okay with this?”

 

His mate gave him a look. “Hyun, I practically raised Jjong, and look at how he turned out,” he pointed out. “Babes are nothing for me. I just want you to help me take care of her.”

 

Pouting, Kyuhyun looked at the baby, who was still staring at him. He twitched. “Hae...she’s staring at me.”

 

“Why don’t you hold her?”

 

Eyes widening, Kyuhyun frantically shook his head. “No! I’ll just drop her!”

 

Sighing, Donghae shakes his head, moving towards his paranoid mate. “All you have to do is keep her close so she can hear your heart and keep her neck and head supported.”

 

Kyuhyun shook his head wildly, panicking as the baby continued to watch him. “She’s fine with you!”

 

Donghae pulls back as Kyuhyun slips past him to escape, sighing again as the little girl drums a fist against his chest.

 

“Don’t worry,” he coos at her, snuggling her. “He’s just shy.”

  


 

 

 

“I hear you have a baby now.”

 

Kyuhyun nearly chokes on his take-out coffee, glaring daggers at the smirking male that came to sit down at his table.

 

“We’re babysitting,” he stresses, and Hyukjae snorts.

 

“You mean Hae is babysitting whilst you sit here having a merry old time.”

 

Kyuhyun moves to kick the irritating werewolf who avoids it. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Siwon’s in the back doing something with spreadsheets.”

 

Kyuhyun gives him a look. “Why are you here and not back there in the office?”

 

Hyukjae rolls his eyes, sniffing slightly. “We don’t have sex every single day. We’re not animals.”

 

Kyuhyun snorts before taking a drink and gets a glare for it.

 

“Anyway, babies aren’t that scary,” Hyuk tries to comfort him as Kyuhyun’s phone begins to ring. “Hae is a natural with them.”

 

Seeing his mate’s name, Kyuhyun knows his hiding time is up.

 

“He’ll only come here with the babe if you don’t answer,” Hyukjae points out.

 

Kyuhyun answers immediately. “Hello?”

 

_“Have you had time to think about it?”_

 

Kyuhyun feels an eye twitch again as he hears the baby gurgle in the background.

 

“I’m not changing it.”

 

_“She.”_

 

“Whatever,” Kyuhyun mumbles, glaring at his coffee. “I’ll be home in a little bit.”

 

_“Before you do, can you drop by the supermarket to grab some baby wipes? Taeyeon has forgot to put them in her bag. Oh, and also pick up some bath toys that’s on offer at the moment for when we bathe her tonight. Ah, and also if they have any steriliser for the bottles.”_

 

Kyuhyun’s eye twitches again.

 

“Right, and how am I supposed to know where all of these are?”

 

_“Is Hyuk with you?”_

 

Blinking in confusion, Kyuhyun gave an affirmative whilst Hyukjae stared at him curiously.

 

_“Have him go with you. He should know where everything is.”_

 

“Are you sure?” Kyuhyun asked, sounding doubtful.

 

_“Yeah. Anyway, I’ll see you when you get home.”_

 

Gaping as his mate hung up on him, Kyuhyun stared at his phone before looking over at Hyukjae, who blinked.

 

“What?”

 

“Come with me. You need to help me buy baby stuff.”

 

Hyukjae rolled his eyes and nodded grudgingly. “Oh, fine. But only because you’re a clueless mate.”

 

He laughed as Kyuhyun tried to kick him again.

  


 

 

 

Donghae smiled brightly as the baby giggled whilst he gently bounced her on his lap. The giggling sounded like music to his ears, making him smile even wider. As the baby finally got tired from all the bouncing, he picked her up and gently put her in her playpen, distracting her with a doll Taeyeon had packed for her.

 

Once she was distracted, Donghae glanced over at the clock, eyebrows furrowing once he caught sight of the time.

 

Where was Kyuhyun?

 

He blinked when he heard a commotion outside, his wolf already flaring protectively at a possible threat, and he tried to assure it as he walked over to open the door.

 

The sight he saw wasn’t what he was expecting.

 

“Put me down!” Kyuhyun cried, struggling to get off of Siwon’s shoulder, who was carrying him.

 

Hyukjae beamed as soon as he caught sight of Donghae. “Hae, we’re back! Sorry it took us so long.”

 

“No problem…” Donghae blinked. “Won, why are you carrying my mate?”

 

Siwon smiled. “Sorry, but he got freaked out and tried to make a run for it, so I caught him and had to carry him up here.”

 

“You didn’t have to literally chase me to the stairs,” Donghae heard Kyuhyun grumble.

 

Donghae raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Siwon to put Kyuhyun down and helped Hyukjae grab the bags filled with baby necessities.

 

“So, where is the little darling?” Hyukjae asked eagerly.

 

His best friend chuckled. “Playing. You can go greet her.”

 

“Don’t mind if I do,” Hyukjae sang out, dragging his mate over to where the baby was.

 

Donghae looked over at Kyuhyun, who was shuffling in his place uncomfortably. “Are you still nervous?”

 

“Kinda?”

 

Donghae gave him a look and Kyuhyun deflated as he came inside. “I was just never exposed to babies,” he admits as they stand in the hallway.

 

Donghae wraps him up into a comforting hug. “Wanna just watch for now and see how easy she is?”

 

He felt Kyuhyun nod against his neck.

 

Pulling back, he leads Kyuhyun to the cooing going on in the living room.

 

“She’s adorable!” Hyukjae gushes, playing with the doll and making it dance while the baby tries to grab it, smiling and drooling a little as she makes an excited sound.

 

Kyuhyun stands back to watch the scene play out, still tense.

 

Siwon is watching her, a fond expression on his face as he watches the two interact.

 

Kyuhyun doesn’t know whether to read more into that look or not.

 

“What’s her name?” Siwon asks as Hyukjae blows raspberries at her.

 

“Mina,” Donghae says, smiling as he crouches down and steals her attention.

 

Hyukjae pouts as she reaches for Donghae. “No fair.”

 

Donghae pokes out his tongue as he picks her up. “She has good taste.”

 

“I’m clearly better!”

 

“Really? What do you think, Mina?”

 

Kyuhyun watched as Mina giggled, snuggling against Donghae’s chest, earning a cooing sound from his mate.

 

Donghae smirked. “Looks like she’s chosen.”

 

“So unfair,” Hyukjae pouted.

 

Kyuhyun saw the look Donghae was giving him and swallowed, stepping a bit closer and froze completely when Mina looked over at him. He heard the others go silent, watching what he would do as Mina continued to stare at him.

 

He lost the staring contest by choosing to flee into the kitchen.

 

“Kyuhyun,” Donghae whined, following after his mate. “You promised you’d try.”

 

“But this…” Kyuhyun began, gesturing wildly as Donghae entered the kitchen. “I don’t know what to do!”

 

“You could always try holding her?” Hyukjae suggested, poking his head in.

 

Kyuhyun paled. “What?”

 

Donghae nodded in agreement. “Just hold her. And don’t be nervous. If you’re nervous, she’ll sense it, and will grow uncomfortable.”

 

His mate whined, shaking his head furiously.

 

“Okay,” Donghae sighed, carefully handing Mina over to Hyukjae, who cradled her gently. “Let’s do this one step at a time then.”

 

Kyuhyun looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

 

“It’s feeding time for her,” his mate explained, walking over to where he stood. “So you’re going to learn how to make formula for the babe and feed her.”

 

“What!?”

 

“Don’t worry. It’s not hard,” Donghae immediately soothed him. “She’s easy to feed and hold. Look at how Hyuk’s holding her.”

 

Kyuhyun studied the male, tensing again as Mina watches him.

 

Hyukjae presses a light kiss to the top of her fair hair. “See, she’s harmless.”

 

Kyuhyun can’t take Mina staring at him and hurries to his mate’s side, watching as he makes up the bottle for her.

 

Kyuhyun doesn’t take any of it in.

 

“Won’t that taste just like powder?” He questions, eyeing the bottle.

 

Donghae gives him a cheeky grin. “Wanna try it?”

 

“Hell no!”

 

“Don’t curse around her!” both Hyukjae and Siwon rebuke him, and he turns to see Hyukjae hurrying her out of the room while Siwon follows like a puppy.

 

“Like she can understand what it means,” he sulks, and his mate laughs.

 

“Come on, grumpy,” he nudges him playfully. “Let’s show you how to feed a baby.”

 

Hyukjae’s slightly swaying with her as they sit on the sofa, talking in a high pitched tone as she plays with his fingers.

 

At seeing the bottle in Donghae’s hands, everything changes.

 

Kyuhyun freezes near the playpen, watching as Mina starts to thrash in Hyuk’s grip.

 

“Someone’s hungry!” Donghae coos as Hyukjae rearranges her so that she’s ready for the bottle, but she’s still fighting, eyes locked on the bottle.

 

When she starts to complain at them being too slow, Kyuhyun grips the playpen.

 

Crisis is averted the moment Hyukjae feeds her the bottle, her little body sagging as she gulps.

 

“See,” Donghae says, looking over his shoulder at him. “It’s easy!”

 

Hyukjae’s cooing again, and Siwon’s got that look back on his face.

 

Kyuhyun wants to run.

 

 _You’ll never get over this if you don’t at least try,_ his wolf encourages him softly, and Kyuhyun sighs.

 

Forcing his feet to take him closer, Mina looks back at him, her drinking stopping.

 

“So...I just hold her like that?” Kyuhyun asks, trying to hide just how nervous he is as he sits down next to Hyuk.

 

Hyukjae nodded, looking at him. “Wanna try to hold her?”

 

Taking a deep breath, Kyuhyun nodded, almost freezing in place when Hyukjae had to gently pry the bottle away from her, earning a sound of complaint from the baby. He followed Donghae’s instructions as Hyukjae transferred Mina over to him, his body tense.

 

“Relax,” Donghae told him softly.

 

Kyuhyun nodded slightly, forcing his body to relax as Mina grew adjusted into his arms and Hyukjae handed him the bottle. As Kyuhyun carefully fed the baby, he almost froze again when she looked up at him.

 

“She’s just trying to figure out who you are,” Siwon explained. “Babies have a knack for staring at people they don’t know.”

 

“Will she try to hurt me?” Kyuhyun whispered.

 

Donghae chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No, she won’t. It’d be a different case if she was a werewolf, though.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Around this age, for werewolf babies, there would be hints of their werewolf nature showing,” Hyukjae explained. “Like their nails turning sharper, and they express wolf-like habits.”

 

Both Kyuhyun and Siwon stared at them.

 

“How do you know this much?” Siwon asked, sounding amazed.

 

Hyukjae laughed. “We’ve witnessed it in our old pack.”

 

“Quite the troublemakers they are,” Donghae hummed out, watching as Mina raised up her tiny hand, hitting Kyuhyun’s chest softly.

 

Kyuhyun made a sound of surprise. “What was that for?”

 

“She likes you.” His mate grinned.

 

“Try speaking to her,” Hyukjae encouraged.

 

Kyuhyun flails inside at that. “What do I say?”

 

“Anything,” all three of them say.

 

Kyuhyun feels another tap and he glances back down at her.

 

“H-hi?”

 

Mina stills and Kyuhyun almost freaks out, thinking he said the wrong thing.

 

Mina spits the bottle tip out of her mouth and stares up at him, panting slightly from drinking so much.

 

Kyuhyun frowns. “Full?”

 

Mina continues staring at him.

 

“She’s mesmerized by him,” Hyukjae sniggers softly and Kyuhyun’s cheeks burn.

 

“She isn’t,” he argues, trying to will the blush down.

 

Mina blinks, a slow smile growing on her little lips.

 

The three coo at the smile while Kyuhyun’s blush just grows hotter.

 

“Let’s have some more,” he coaxes softly, ignoring the comments the others are making about him and Mina.

 

Mina opens her mouth and accepts the bottle again.

 

“You’re a natural, Hyun.” His mate whispers, and he glances up in time to see a shadow of something flicker over Donghae’s face.

 

Kyuhyun mumbles something before squeaking in surprise as his mate quickly pecks him on his lips. “The baby!”

 

He feels Mina’s fist tap him again, and he glances down to see her watching him.

 

“Think you may have competition, Hae.” Siwon teases as Mina continues to hit him lightly.

 

Donghae chuckled. “It’s fine, she’s adorable.”

 

“Look at that, Kyu. You’re popular with the babies,” Hyukjae teased, earning a dark blush from the youngest.

 

Kyuhyun just grumbled, looking down at her.

  


 

 

 

“Is she asleep?” Kyuhyun whispered, looking over at Donghae, who had came in the room with the baby monitor in hand.

 

Donghae nodded, placing the monitor on the nightstand before crawling into bed, smiling as Kyuhyun immediately snuggled up against him. “She’s a darling. You should’ve been there, too.”

 

“One step at a time,” his mate reminded.

 

The older chuckled, kissing his forehead. “But she loves you, you know. It’s hard not to.”

 

“Stop it,” Kyuhyun mumbled, sounding shy. “But...I guess...it’s not that hard taking care of her.”

 

“I’m glad you said that.”

 

Blinking, Kyuhyun looked up at him curiously. “Why?”

 

Donghae smiled sheepishly. “I have a meeting tomorrow at the restaurant, so I was hoping you’d be able to take care of her in the morning.”

 

His mate gaped. “W-What? Me? Alone with her? What if I do something wrong!?”

 

“You won’t,” Donghae assured him. “You did so well today. You’ll do well tomorrow, too.”

 

Kyuhyun whined. “I’m not ready for this.”

 

“You are,” his mate told him, kissing him gently. “Besides, if you need any help whatsoever, you’re free to call Hyuk or the rest of the pack to help you.”

 

“Can’t you bring her with you?” the younger mumbled, pouting.

 

Donghae shook his head. “You know I can’t. The sort of environment isn’t good for a babe, anyway.”

 

Kyuhyun hides his face, whining a little as he feels the weight of responsibility begin to build on his shoulders.

 

“It’s only the morning,” Donghae comforts, cuddling him. “And I’ll prepare her bottle that should last her until her next feed at lunch.”

 

Sighing, Kyuhyun nods.

 

Donghae kisses him, whispering words of encouragement.

 

Mina wakes them in the early hours of the morning, and Kyuhyun is so disoriented, that by the time he stumbles into the spare room where they had set up Mina’s travel cot, Donghae is already soothing her back to sleep, a dirty diaper by his foot as he rocks Mina.

 

“Go back to sleep, Hyun.” Donghae whispers, back to him as he continues to rock her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

 

Kyuhyun stumbles back to bed.

  


 

 

 

It’s been fifteen minutes.

 

Mina hasn’t noticed that there is only one of them in the apartment yet, content to play with her toys.

 

Kyuhyun’s sitting on the sofa, stiff and watching her like a hawk.

 

 _We can do this_ , he chants to himself, and his wolf agrees, trying to fill him with confidence.

 

That confidence comes crashing down the second Mina starts to look for Donghae.

 

The more her eyes get confused, the more Kyuhyun hovers near her, starting to fret about what he should say or do.

 

Mina lets out a whine, eyes shining as she looks up at him expectantly.

 

Kyuhyun’s spine makes a cracking as he bends to pick her up, still tense as he holds her. “Hae will be back soon,” he promises her.

 

Her breathing picks up with the tell tale signs of tears coming and Kyuhyun starts to panic, bouncing her little as he tries to distract her with anything.

 

He finds themselves in front of the mirror in the hallway as he tries to get Mina to copy him by pulling a silly face.

 

Mina doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

 

He supposes that’s a step somewhere.

 

As he manages to avoid that as Mina settles down, he faces another obstacle after breakfast.

 

Donghae hadn’t made enough for her. Mina’s still hungry.

 

He briefly wondered what he should do before remembering how Donghae had made her bottle.

 

Kyuhyun carefully set her in her playpen, earning a whine of complaint from the little girl before he managed to distract her with her doll.

 

He practically fled into the kitchen to make more bottles for her.

 

Despite the mess with formula powder on the counter, Kyuhyun still considered it a job well done as he shook it whilst heading back to Mina.

 

As soon as he stepped near, Mina looked up, immediately reaching up for the bottle.

 

Swallowing, Kyuhyun picked her up again before settling on the couch, giving the babe her bottle.

 

 _How does Donghae make this look easy?_ He complained to his wolf.

 

His wolf nudged him in encouragement.

 

When Mina finally grew full, she began to thrash a bit in his arms, making Kyuhyun freeze.

 

Swallowing, he peered down at her, trying to see what she wanted, only to become completely still when she began to make hiccuping noises.

 

Panic struck him, leaving him unable to move before his wolf finally snapped at him to do something.

 

Flailing on the inside, Kyuhyun placed the bottle on the ground before situating Mina in a way for him to pat her back.

 

The hiccup continued.

 

Holding Mina with one arm, Kyuhyun fetched for his phone, dialing in Hyukjae's number and setting it on speaker.

 

_"Hello?"_

 

"Help me!"

 

He heard something being dropped through the phone as Hyukjae demanded to know what’s happened.

 

“She won’t stop hiccupping!” Kyuhyun frets, and Mina starts to twist in his hold and he gasps, heart lurching as she almost succeeds in getting out of it before he held her more securely.

 

He hears Hyukjae pause in moving. _“She’s hiccupping?”_

 

“Yeah!”

 

_“Does she look pained or uncomfortable?”_

 

Kyuhyun leans forwards to see her face. “A little.”

 

_“I’m guessing she’s just had a bottle?”_

 

“Yes.”

 

Hyukjae lets out a relieved sigh. _“She just needs to be winded.”_

 

Kyuhyun blinks. “She needs what?”

 

_“You need to make her burp because she’s full of wind from drinking the milk too fast.”_

 

Kyuhyun glances down at the baby. “So how do I do that?”

 

_“Pat her back, between her shoulders and a little down, so that you can help release the air, but make sure you do it a little firmly to get it up.”_

 

Kyuhyun starts to panic. “I can’t do that. I might do it too hard!”

 

_“Try it for five minutes. If she doesn’t burp, then ring me and I’ll come and do it.”_

 

Kyuhyun glares at nothing as the male hangs up on him.

 

Dropping his phone beside him, Kyuhyun gently grasps Mina so that she’s secure whilst he begins to pat her where Hyuk told him to, watching her closely in case it’s too hard.

 

Mina just stares in front of her, mouth open a little as she allows him to wind her.

 

After two minutes of nothing coming up, Kyuhyun rubs her back firmly to soothe the area from the continuous patting.

 

Mina surprises him by burping.

 

Relief floods through him and he rubs her back more, patting at the odd times, grinning as the little girl burps again.

 

She looks up at him, eyes expectant.

 

Kyuhyun smiles down at her, proud of them both. “Well done!” he coos, rubbing her back again. “Is there any more in there?”

 

Mina shakes her head, beginning to fuss slightly.

 

Kyuhyun shakes his head. “Come on,” he coaxes as he stills her. “One more and then we’re done.”

 

Mina makes soft gurgling noises, pinching at his arm as he continues to wind her.

 

His phone rings as she burps again and pulls at the hair on his arm, causing him to hiss slightly. “Hello?”

 

_“It’s been five minutes, you okay over there?”_

 

Kyuhyun grins, ignoring the little curious sounds she’s making as she pulls more hair out. “We’re fine.”

 

_"Judging from the sound of your voice, it must've gone very well."_

 

Kyuhyun blushed slightly, biting back a smile.

 

"Yeah, well. Maybe taking care of her isn't as hard as I thought."

 

Hyukjae chuckled. _"Good to hear. But don't worry. You'll grow used to her soon."_

 

Mumbling something, Kyuhyun ended the call and gazed down at Mina, who smiled up at him.

 

He could now see why Donghae was fond of babies.

  


 

 

 

When Donghae arrived at the apartment, he was taken aback by the silence.

 

Slightly suspicious, he wandered in further before stopping upon seeing Kyuhyun asleep on the couch whilst Mina was in her playpen, playing with her doll.

 

Chuckling at the sight, he walked over to the babe, smiling when she noticed him and began to make excited sounds.

 

"Hello, darling," Donghae cooed, bending down to pick her up.

 

She giggled, snuggling against him.

 

Donghae smiled wider. "Have you been good to Kyu?"

 

Mina made excited sounds, smiling so brightly at him.

 

"I'll take that as a yes." Pressing a kiss against her forehead, he walked over to Kyuhyun and gently nudged him awake. "Kyu, wake up."

 

Grumbling at the nudge, Kyuhyun went to resettle, hugging a cushion before jerking awake, eyes wide.

 

“Min-”

 

“Is right here,” Donghae intervenes, cutting off his mate’s sudden panic and Kyuhyun sags, noticing him now. “Was she hard work?”

 

Kyuhyun shakes his head, rubbing at his hair. “You didn’t make enough for her though.”

 

Donghae frowns, coming to sit down next to his mate and plopping Mina onto his lap, supporting her back with his hand. “She finished the bottle I made?”

 

Kyuhyun nods. “I had your back though,” he teases.

 

Donghae smiles. “Oh did you now?”

 

Mina drums her hands onto his thigh, leaning forward to get to Kyuhyun who took her without question, causing Donghae to stare.

 

“What?” Kyuhyun demands, cheeks pink as he settles the little girl against his chest, letting her play with his fingers as she makes little sounds.

 

Donghae leans and gives his mate a quick peck on the cheek, causing him to whine as Mina stops to watch them.

 

“I think you’re ready for the next step,” Donghae whispers, and Kyuhyun gives him a wary look.

 

“Which is?”

 

Donghae grins. “Bath time.”

 

 

 

 

Hovering behind his mate later that night, Kyuhyun watched as his mate regulated the temperature of the water as the tub fills up as he holds Mina.

 

“Will she scream?” Kyuhyun asks, ignoring the little hands playing with his hair. “I’m sure I read somewhere that babies detest bath time.”

 

Donghae shrugs. “Not all babes hate bath time.”

 

Mina yanks on his hair, causing him to scold her lightly at the lick of pain.

 

The look of innocence he gets at the scolding makes him smile, rolling his eyes slightly as he shifts her higher up his hip.

 

“Is it ready yet?”

 

“Yep.” Donghae turns the water off and the bathroom goes silent.

 

Kyuhyun looks down at Mina to see her watching Donghae.

 

“How much are you betting that she’ll scream?” Kyuhyun says as Mina eyes Donghae as he rises.

 

Kyuhyun averts Mina’s eyes as his mate tugs off his shirt, revealing his chest. “Keep it on!” he hisses as Mina yanks on his hair at the sudden movement.

 

"You're overreacting," Donghae told him and Mina squealed as he took her into his arms. "I'd rather not get my shirt wet during bath time."

 

"Why would it get wet?"

 

His mate rolled his eyes before stripping Mina, earning a giggle from the little girl before Donghae placed her in.

 

Kyuhyun watched curiously as Mina splashed the water, causing it to fly everywhere. "Min—"

 

"It's okay," Hyun," Donghae assured him. "She's just playing. That's how babies amuse themselves."

 

Pouting, Kyuhyun nodded, watching as Donghae took a towel and wet it before beginning to wash her. He felt a sense of warmth at hearing Mina giggle, reaching to gently grab Donghae's wrist and shaking it a little.

 

"How long do babies usually stay in their bath?" Kyuhyun wondered.

 

Donghae hummed. "It depends on the baby. If they really enjoy the water, then they'll try to stay in it for as long as it can. But they can't stay there too long or else their skin will start to get pruney."

 

"That's not a good thing?"

 

"Not for a baby," Donghae told him. "We have to keep their skin healthy and soft as much as possible."

 

Nodding, Kyuhyun watched Donghae grab the baby shampoo and pour a certain amount onto his hand before washing Mina's hair, coaxing her to stay still.

 

Mina obeyed, sort of, since she was focused on one of the bath toys - a ship - float past her, easily grabbing her attention.

 

"Bath time doesn't look too hard," Kyuhyun murmured.

 

Donghae chuckled. "It usually isn't, but Mina's a good girl. Besides, sometimes it's drying them that's the hardest part."

 

Kyuhyun blinked. "What do you mean?"

 

"Once they're out of the water, they will try to run off and go play," his mate told him. "Especially babies around Mina's age. They get distracted easily and would want to play with the first thing that gets their attention."

 

“So I guess you have to be quick,” Kyuhyun comments and sinks to his knees as Donghae finishes rinsing off the shampoo.

 

Donghae glances at him. “Wanna wash her while I hold her?”

 

As Mina splashes, trying to grab the boat, Kyuhyun nods.

 

Under Donghae’s instructions, Kyuhyun applies a small amount of the baby soap to the soft cloth and leans over the bath’s edge to start washing her belly first.

 

Mina begins to squirm, but Donghae holds her steady as Kyuhyun moves quick. Since he’s so concentrated on making sure he’s getting her clean, he completely misses the obvious attack coming his way.

 

As his chest is hit with water, his t-shirt soaking immediately, Mina giggles, splashing with the boat to create a bigger one.

 

He hears Donghae snigger. “That’s why you take off your top.”

 

Kyuhyun playfully flicks some of the water at Mina as he rinses off the suds, and the little girl releases a high pitched squeal at it.

 

Mina uses her legs to splash, causing more water to spill and Donghae nods for Kyuhyun to grab her towel.

 

“Don’t get her too excited,” Donghae laughs as Kyuhyun has the towel open and ready to accept her. “She needs to go to bed after this.”

 

Mina makes a wail of complaint as Donghae lifts her from the water, and Kyuhyun buddles her up in the fluffy towel, distracting her as he bounces her whilst talking nonsense as Donghae empties the bath.

 

Hurrying into their bedroom where they had left her night clothes, Kyuhyun plonks himself onto the bed and allows Mina to roll out of her fluffy bundle as she spies Donghae’s phone.

 

Whilst she crawls to get it, Kyuhyun follows her, using the towel to dry her off before picking her up and sitting her on his lap so that he can dry her hair.

 

Mina doesn’t care, she’s too busy looking at her reflection on Donghae’s phone.

 

Kyuhyun ends up laughing as Mina’s hair puffs up slightly, sticking out at all angles once he’s done with getting her ready, and she butts her head backwards at him, hitting him square in the chest bone.

 

"Ow!"

 

"What happened?"

 

Looking up, Kyuhyun saw Donghae enter the bedroom, appearing confused.

 

"Mina headbutted me," Kyuhyun told him.

 

Donghae snorted, looking at the little girl. "That's not nice, Mina."

 

Mina simply made sounds, still fixated with the phone in her hands.

 

"Come on, time for bed," Donghae declared, picking her up, earning a sound of complaint.

 

Kyuhyun winced when Mina whined as his mate took back his phone, little sobbing noises threatening to escape from her as she tried to reach for the phone.

 

But the sweet melody of a lullaby silenced her, enrapturing her as its song played in the air.

 

Watching Donghae gently rock Mina to sleep, Kyuhyun could see the little girl slowly close her eyes, a tiny yawn escaping from her due to the rocking and the lullaby.

 

Soon enough, she fell asleep, her soft breathing the only other sound in the room.

 

"So adorable," Donghae whispered, pressing a kiss against her head.

 

Kyuhyun stared at his mate in awe. "Hyuk was right. You're a natural when it comes to babies."

 

Chuckling softly, Donghae winked at him before going to where Mina's travel cot was.

 

As Kyuhyun put everything away, he settled on the bed, watching Donghae come back in.

 

"That's what happens when you're often charged with babysitting duty," Donghae joked, earning a look. "I'm just kidding, Hyun. But did you enjoy your morning with her?"

 

Kyuhyun nodded slowly. "It wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be."

 

"That's good to hear." Donghae kissed his cheek.

 

“So what’s the plan for the next few days?” Kyuhyun asks as Donghae settles next to him, both sitting with their back against the headboard.

 

“We could let the others see her, have a day out to a park or something so that she’s getting fresh air, and even though she’s too young to use any park toys, she can still have fun.”

 

Kyuhyun snorts. “You mean, we’re going to be doing the running around as she relaxes in our arms, enjoying herself.”

 

“The slide is mutual fun, don’t deny it.”

 

Kyuhyun nudges his mate with his shoulder, eyes rolling. “And then what?”

 

Donghae shrugs, bringing Kyuhyun in for a hug. “Oh, Taeyeon takes her to play group thing so that Mina can socialise with other babies, so I guess we can do that so that she’s not completely thrown off her routine.”

 

Kyuhyun tenses slightly. “I’ve just gotten used to Mina and you’re wanting to surround me with more babies?”

 

Donghae chuckles. “It’ll be fine.”

 

Kyuhyun pinches Donghae’s chest, and Donghae grabs his wrist, tugging him close.

 

“I don’t think so,” Kyuhyun laughs out as Donghae gives him a slightly heated look.

 

“Why not?” Donghae whispers, leaning close to brush their lips against each other in a chaste kiss.

 

Kyuhyun tries to tug himself free, heart rate rising a little. “We can’t have sex!” he hisses.

 

“We’ll be quiet.”

 

"No."

 

Kyuhyun's breathing hitched when Donghae began to kiss his neck.

 

"Come on," Donghae whispered. "I have the walls soundproofed you know."

 

Kyuhyun tried to shake his head, but a moan escaped from him as Donghae began to suck on a sensitive part on his neck.

 

"Hae..."

 

Donghae kissed him deeply, moving them both so that Kyuhyun was on his back and he was on top of him.

 

Kyuhyun arched his back as Donghae began to rub against him.

 

He clutched Donghae's shirt, his breathing going heavy.

 

"What do you say, Hyun?"

 

"Fine," the younger breathed out. "Just this once."

 

Donghae pulled back and smirked. "Fine."

 

Before Kyuhyun even had time to react, Donghae was kissing him again, hastily taking off their clothes.

 

"Mark me, Hyun."

 

Moaning, Kyuhyun attached his mouth to Donghae's neck, sucking and biting on different parts.

 

Just as they were getting into it, they heard a wailing coming from the baby monitor.

 

Kyuhyun could only gape as Donghae was off of him in a flash, already out of the room. Wanting to groan, he followed after his mate just in time to see Donghae changing Mina's diaper whilst the baby made cooing sounds.

 

"She's going to cockblock us," Kyuhyun said flatly.

 

Donghae smiled. "Don't say that."

 

"You know it's true."

 

And what do you know, Kyuhyun was right.

 

By the third attempt, Mina was refusing to settle, doing nothing but cry out as soon she was left alone for longer than five minutes.

 

As Donghae walked the floor with her, trying to get her back off to sleep, Kyuhyun shook his head.

 

“I’ll make us a drink,” he says, and leaves to the sound of Mina happily gurgling away as Donghae tried to coax her to sleep, without any success.

  


 

 

 

“She’s a cutie,” Sungmin sighs, watching as Hyukjae slides down the slide with Mina in his arms, both screaming.

 

Kyuhyun nods, biting into the kimbap that Ryeowook had made for their picnic.

 

“And Hae-hyung is a natural,” Ryeowook comments as he too watches as Donghae steals Mina from Hyukjae, both of them laughing as Hyukjae runs after them.

 

“She’s got him wrapped around her little finger,” Kyuhyun says around a mouthful, and gets twin disgusted looks.

 

Rolling his eyes, he moves over so that Siwon can sit back down.

 

Swallowing, Kyuhyun notices that look on the alpha’s face again. “Broody?”

 

Siwon jerks, glancing at him. “No!”

 

Kyuhyun snorts into his roll. “You sure?”

 

“Yes!”

 

As Kyuhyun takes a huge mouthful of the delicious roll, Sungmin and Ryeowook seize on the chance to tortment Siwon.

 

“Hyuk knows how to handle kids as well, doesn’t he?” Sungmin comments lightly, smirk barely hidden.

 

“He’s had plenty of experience,” chimes in Ryeowook.

 

Kyuhyun watches on in amusement as Siwon stiffens.

 

"I wonder how it'd be if you two ever have kids of your own one day," Sungmin added.

 

The three watched as Siwon's face turned completely red, making them intrigued.

 

"You guys talked about it," Sungmin breathed out.

 

Siwon shook his head furiously. "No! Well...not exactly..."

 

"So you have!" Ryeowook giggled. "Hae-hyung!"

 

"No!"

 

Sungmin hastily tugged Ryeowook to the side as Siwon tried to silence the younger, earning laughs from the others.

 

Kyuhyun snorted. "Didn't take you as the type of guy who wanted kids."

 

The alpha looked sheepish. "I just never honestly thought about it until Hyuk started to play with Mina. And since he's so good with her..."

 

"Hyuk-hyung can make a great mom," Jonghyun said out of nowhere, causing everyone to scream and jump from his sudden appearance.

 

"Don't fucking do that!" Siwon yelled, trying to calm his heartbeat whilst Sungmin patted Kyuhyun's back when the other started to choke a little bit.

 

Jonghyun smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself."

 

"Jjong, why don't you tell us some stories about Hae and Hyuk when they were taking care of kids?" Sungmin requested.

 

The youngest blinked. "Sure, I guess."

 

"They took care of you, too, right?" Kyuhyun asked, earning a nod.

 

Jonghyun sat down beside Ryeowook. "Yeah, actually. Hae-hyung was actually there when I was born. And since then, both he and Hyuk-hyung stuck by me and practically raised me."

 

Siwon leaned in closer. "How did they raise you?"

 

“When I was born, a lot of other babies were born too, but some didn’t make it, “ at everyones stunned looks at that Jonghyun shrugs, “it happens sometimes for werewolf babies, they just don’t make it to their first birthday.”

 

Siwon goes white, and Kyuhyun can only imagine what that information has stirred up inside the alpha.

 

“Anyway, since Hae-hyung had been there when I was born, I guess he got attached to me? For the first year, I remember an elder who left our pack tell me when I was old enough that Hae-hyung and Hyukjae-hyung stayed by my side and some of the other babes, keeping an eye on them if one of us stopped breathing or whatever. They just felt a need to ensure their new generation of pack members survived, even though they were only young children themselves.”

 

“Even from a young age those two were different,” Sungmin comments softly.

 

Jonghyun nods. “As we grew up, Hae-hyung prefered it if he was the one to keep an eye on us when either the alpha or adults weren’t around. He prefered to play with us, encouraging our growth than to play with his own generation of pack members.”

 

“When some of the pack left us, taking some of the children, I was left behind, so I clung to them both,” Jonghyun adds, sighing as he changes sitting position. “By this time, they were ten years old and about to see themselves begin to develop and mature into the next phase of their life, but instead, they doted on me, ensuring I wasn’t feeling lonely or anything.”

 

Hearing Mina let out a shrill squeal, all of them look over to see her in Hyukjae’s arms as he taunts Donghae with her.

 

Kyuhyun doesn’t know what he’s feeling exactly. Siwon’s gone really quiet as he watches them.

 

“Don’t look so worried, hyung,” Jonghyun says, nudging Siwon. “A lot has changed since I was born. The death rate isn’t as high now.”

 

Siwon nods, but doesn’t respond.

 

“Wanna hear about the time I puked on Hyukjae-hyung and he nearly cried?” Jonghyun asks, trying to lift the mood.

 

Sungmin snorts. “He nearly cried?”

 

Jonghyun nods enthusiastically. “I was...six? I had the stomach flu and couldn’t keep anything down. Hyuk-hyung was on babysitting duty while Donghae had ran out to get something for me, and he figured that I’d be able to keep down just a small portion of rice pudding.”

 

Ryeowook’s face splits into a grin as Kyuhyun begins to laugh.

 

“So when I brought it back up, it wasn’t the….nicest consistency, and it just went all over his head and hair since I puked as I jerked over the side of the bed, and he had been about to change the bucket.”

 

Siwon looked like he was going to be sick himself as the others roared with laughter.

 

“What’s so funny?” Hyukjae asks, panting a little as he spins Mina around in a circle, causing her to scream excitedly.

 

“You nearly cried when Jonghyun puked on you?” Sungmin gasps out, hiding his face behind his hands.

 

Hyukjae jerks to a stop, stunned. “You told them?!”

 

“Why would you give him rice pudding?!” Ryeowook laughs out.

 

“I was ten!” Hyukjae cried, not even arguing when Donghae managed to steal Mina from him. “Rice pudding was the only thing I knew how to make!”

 

Kyuhyun snorted. “And then you nearly cried when Jonghyun puked on you.”

 

“You should’ve seen it the last time Jjong was sick,” Donghae spoke up, letting Mina play with his fingers. “Jjong had a fever and was delusional so he clung to Hyuk a lot, demanding a lot of things and constantly calling him Umma.”

 

Everyone laughed whilst Siwon just stared at his mate.

 

“That must’ve been a sight to see,” Ryeowook commented.

 

Hyukjae glared at his alpha, who smirked.

 

“It was even better when Jjong used Hyuk as his teddy bear,” Donghae sang out, earning blushes from both Jonghyun and Hyukjae.

 

Hyukjae grumbled. “Why are you telling them that?”

 

“They wanted to know how you two raised me,” Jonghyun explained, earning knowing looks from the two.

 

Kyuhyun stared at them. “You two were mature even when you were four years old.”

 

Donghae shrugged, sitting down as Mina finally settled, a small yawn escaping from her. “Every pup is different, just as every child is.”

 

“I didn’t know living in a pack was...harsh,” Siwon commented.

 

Hyukjae rubbed his mate’s shoulders. “In an old fashioned pack, it was. But we’ve seen new generation packs and they’ve learned from our kind’s history.”

 

“I think I’m glad for new generation packs then,” Sungmin remarked. “Although, I got kicked out of mine since I developed too slow for their liking.”

 

“And I kept moving from pack to pack,” Ryeowook added in.

 

Siwon pouted. “I was never raised in one.”

 

“Count yourself lucky,” Donghae mumbled, beginning to rock Mina to sleep.

 

Kyuhyun sighed, looking at his mate. “Is it her naptime already?”

 

The alpha nodded and gave them all looks. “So no noises or else I’ll discipline all of you.’

 

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

 

Siwon watched Donghae. “...Can I try to put her to sleep?”

 

“Move quick,” Donghae whispers, and Siwon and Hyukjae hurry to swap spots.

 

As Donghae eases Mina into Siwon’s waiting arms, Kyuhyun finds himself holding his breath, waiting to see how Mina reacts.

 

As Siwon cradles her close, rocking her softly, Mina makes out just a little disturbed whine, but relaxes, her eyes slipping shut.

 

Siwon doesn’t take his eyes off her as he rocks her, and Kyuhyun sees Hyukjae shuffle closer to him, softly moving Mina’s hair from off her face.

 

The image slams into Kyuhyun so hard that he gasps, causing Donghae to glance at him.

 

He could actually see that couple as parents, and that not only made him be a little excited for their future, but it also terrified him in a way.

 

Siwon and Hyukjae have only just become mates, and he knows that they wouldn’t rush into anything like having a baby, but still...the realisation that his friends could be parents had him thinking more into the future.

 

What would their pack become if they had a kid? What’s going to happen when Sungmin or Ryeowook find someone to settle down with? What is he going to do when all of his pack members are wanting to start a family?

 

What is he going to do when Donghae approaches him about starting their own family?

  


 

 

 

“You’re quiet.”

 

Kyuhyun jerks from his thoughts, coming back to reality.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’ve been quiet all afternoon,” Donghae comments as he drives.

 

“I have?” Kyuhyun questions, surprised.

 

Donghae nods as he indicates so that they can turn into their underground parking for their apartment complex. “Ever since the park.”

 

“Just thinking about this audition,” Kyuhyun fibs, looking behind him into the back seat to check on Mina, who was wide awake now. Her nap had ended when they all had went back to their pack members apartment.

 

“You’ll be okay,” Donghae soothes. “You’re a pro now.”

 

Kyuhyun hums as Donghae parks up.

 

He ends up lost into his thoughts again.

 

Mina brings him out of his thoughts as she yanks on his hair, glaring at him almost from being ignored as he carries her.

 

“You need to get out of that habit, missy,” he scolds as he follows his mate out of the elevator.

 

Mina babbles at him, causing Kyuhyun to smile.

 

However, the smile nearly faded upon remembering what was troubling him all afternoon.

 

As they settled everything back in their apartment, Kyuhyun placed Mina in her playpen, turning on her favorite cartoon to keep her distracted. He smiled down at her before going off to find his mate, who was putting everything back into place.

 

“Hey, Hae…?” Kyuhyun called out nervously.

 

Donghae jerked in surprise before turning around, smiling at him. “Yeah? What’s up, Kyu?”

 

“I...have something I wanted to ask you.”

 

“Granted by the way you’re just standing there, I’m guessing this is serious,” Donghae lightly joked, earning a pout from his mate. “What’s up?”

 

Kyuhyun bit his lip, clutching at the door frame. “Have you...ever thought about having kids?”

 

That took Donghae by surprise, stunning him into silence for a moment before he breathed out, setting a couple of toys into Mina’s travel cot. He gave Kyuhyun a look. “What brought this on?”

 

Kyuhyun shrugged lightly. “I was...just thinking about it. I mean, I saw how...happy Siwon looked earlier whilst holding Mina and the way Hyukjae…”

 

“They looked like parents right then, didn’t they?”

 

The younger nodded slowly. “So...it got me thinking...if you ever wanted to have kids of your own.”

 

For a moment, there was nothing, causing Kyuhyun to look at his mate curiously.

 

Donghae was staring at him.

 

Then his mate breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck. “I won’t deny that I have thought about it,” he said slowly, “but I didn’t want to tell you about it.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Donghae gave him a look. “Because I wasn’t sure how you’d react,” he admitted. “Having children is a big thing, Kyu, and I know you’re uncomfortable around them. That’s why I didn’t want to talk to you about having children until you finally decide to say something. I didn’t want to force you into doing something you don’t want.”

 

So he was thinking about it. Somehow, that made Kyuhyun’s stomach clench with nervousness as his suspicions were finally confirmed.

 

“Do you see us...having a family?” Kyuhyun asked softly.

 

The older smiled. “Of course I do, Hyun. But having a family is still a big decision. We’re already technically married, but having children is a major step.”

 

“And you were worried about me freaking out.”

 

“You freaked out earlier when Mina first came,” his mate pointed out.

 

Kyuhyun pouted. “I can’t help it…”

 

“I know, and I don’t blame you,” Donghae assured him as he walked over, gently grabbing Kyuhyun’s hands. “Until you’re completely ready to talk about having our own family, I won’t say anything.”

 

“But…”

 

Donghae kissed him softly. “Don’t worry about it, Hyun.”

 

Sighing, Kyuhyun pressed his forehead to Donghae’s.

 

“We’ve got all the time in the world,” Donghae whispers.

 

Kyuhyun nods, accepting the gentle kiss from his mate.

 

When Mina begins to rattle her playpen, Donghae gives him another reassuring kiss and goes to calm the little one down.

 

Kyuhyun should be feeling a little bit better now that they’ve talked about it.

 

So why does he feel like crap?

 

Shaking off those thoughts, Kyuhyun buries it to analyze later.

  


 

 

 

Watching Mina and another little girl screech at each other, Kyuhyun didn’t know whether to wince at the noise or to laugh.

 

Next to him, Donghae was chuckling as they watched her interact on the soft mats with them hovering near her in case she had an accident.

 

“She’s adorable,” Kyuhyun hears a female coo, and he glances to his left to see a mother kneeling down next to them. “How old is she?”

 

“She’s eight months,” Donghae tells her, saving Kyuhyun from the unexpected question.

 

“You have it all to come then when she starts to walk,” the female teases.

 

“Isn’t it easier?” Kyuhyun asks, confused.

 

He hears Donghae snort as the woman shakes her head. “No, dear. They get up to all sorts of mischief once they’ve learned how to run from you.”

 

Kyuhyun nods, diving forward automatically as Mina loses balance and face plants the soft mat.

 

Cooing at her to distract her, he nudges her back up to her knees and elbows, encouraging her to shuffle a little.

 

“Do you only have her?” he hears the woman ask Donghae, and Kyuhyun frowns at the question.

 

 _How many does she think we babysit?_ he grumbles to his wolf, who pauses before answering.

 

_Er...I don’t think she means it in that way._

 

As Mina squeals at finally getting the doll she had been heading for, Kyuhyun glances over his shoulder to see Donghae wearing a smile as the woman nods.

 

He looked at his mate in confusion, who only smiled back at him.

 

“Well, she’s a dear,” the woman said before hurrying over to another baby girl who began to cry.

 

Kyuhyun shuffled closer to his mate. “What did she mean by that?” he whispered.

 

He almost felt annoyed when Donghae chuckled.

 

“She thought that Mina was our kid,” Donghae told him, causing Kyuhyun’s cheeks to heat up. “Since we’re both here and watching over her, it’s only natural to assume.”

 

Kyuhyun blushed even harder. “And she didn’t think to be weirded out by that?”

 

“Not really.” Donghae shrugged. “She’s probably seen a lot weirder things.”

 

“I guess…” the younger mumbled, trying to calm down his heart upon hearing the woman assuming Mina to be their daughter. Somehow, he felt excited by the idea, but he squashed it down.

 

He didn’t want to know what it was supposed to mean.

 

When they heard a cry, both looked over to see Mina crying whilst another baby crawled away from her, holding the doll Mina previously had.

 

Without thinking, Kyuhyun hurried over to comfort her, trying his best to get her to stop crying.

 

It took a few minutes before she finally calmed down, hiccuping only a few times as she weakly gripped Kyuhyun’s shirt, her eyes red from the tears. The sight of it caused Kyuhyun’s heart to ache, whispering assurances to her as he gently wiped those tears away from her eyes.

 

Mina smiled, giggling softly, causing Kyuhyun to smile in relief.

 

As he placed her down again, he watched her crawl away to play with another baby. Sighing, he turned back to look at his mate, who wore an expression he had seen Siwon wear so many times.

 

Now that he knew what it meant, it made Kyuhyun’s stomach flutter.

 

When Donghae realized Kyuhyun was staring at him, the alpha smiled before allowing himself to get distracted when Mina decided to crawl over to him. The sight of the two of them together just made Kyuhyun bite his lip, warmth filling him completely as Mina giggled happily when Donghae lifted her up into his arms, bright smiles on both of their faces.

 

He felt a smile of his own slip over his lips.

  


 

 

 

Over the next few days, Kyuhyun experienced some...wonderful joys.

 

This was one of them.

 

“She stinks.” Kyuhyun states, holding Mina arms length away from him as she babbles.

 

Donghae raises an eyebrow in amusement. “So change her.”

 

Kyuhyun almost retches, which causes Donghae to laugh.

 

“You only change her when she’s had a wee,” Donghae points out as he avoids Kyuhyun trying to palm Mina off onto him.

 

“I am not changing that.” Kyuhyun growls out, trying hard not to breath the smell in.

 

“You need to at least try it once!”

 

Kyuhyun whines at his mate, eyes begging. “Please?”

 

Donghae avoids the look. “The longer you take, the worse it’s going to smell.”

 

Mina decides it’s time for her to put in her thoughts, and begins to cry.

 

Kyuhyun’s never power-walked so fast in his life as he raced to change her.

 

He only gagged twice, much to Donghae’s amusement.

  


 

 

 

“Have you grown into parenthood yet?”

 

Kyuhyun almost spat out his drink, only deciding to cough, much to Hyukjae’s amusement.

 

He, Hyukjae, Henry, and Sungmin had decided to get together for a little outing - which, really, was just a lunch whilst the others went off to do their own thing.

 

“Why would you say that?” Kyuhyun asked after finally managing to stop coughing, accepting the napkin Sungmin handed to him.

 

Hyukjae shrugged. “Just wondering. I’ve heard so many compliments about you and Hae whilst you two were taking care of Mina.”

 

“It’s a good thing you’re slowly fitting into the parent role,” Sungmin remarked, earning a glare from his pack member.

 

Henry blinked. “Does that mean you and Donghae-hyung are going to adopt a kid soon?”

 

Immediately, that had all three older members choke, though for entirely different reasons.

 

“Are you trying to kill Kyuhyun?” Hyukjae pants out, laughing as Kyuhyun wipes his face with a napkin from having spilt some of his drink.

 

“No, we’re not.” Kyuhyun tells Henry, glowering at him as he wipes.

 

“But have you two discussed the idea of having children in the future?” Sungmin asks curiously.

 

Kyuhyun’s pause has them all grinning.

 

“But nothing has definitely been decided!” Kyuhyun stresses over the excited ruckus they make.

 

“You guys have spoken about it without shooting the idea down right then,” Henry points out. “So that means one day in the near future, you and Hae-hyung will be parents!”

 

“Hyukjae and Siwon will be parents first,” Kyuhyun argues, causing Hyukjae to cough into his drink at the unexpect comment.

 

Sungmin shuts Hyukjae up as he begins to argue with a muffin to the mouth. “How do you feel about this, Kyu? We all know Donghae’s view on it, but you’ve been really quiet about how you feel.”

 

Kyuhyun stares down at his drink. “I’m not sure,” he admits.

 

“Well, is there something specific that you’re worried about?”

 

Kyuhyun nibbles his bottom lip. “Just how the dynamics will change. The pack, for instance.”

 

“Nothing will change, hyung,” Henry assures, and Kyuhyun looks up to see the younger male looking sure. “Our family will just get bigger.”

 

“Henry is right,” Sungmin says. “If anything, we’ll all probs become more closer if a child was in the pack because we’d all share a sense of responsibility to keep him or her safe and cared for.”

 

Hyukjae hums, mouth chewing before swallowing. “Just think, you won’t ever need to worry about a babysitter.”

 

Kyuhyun rolls his eyes, lips smiling at little as his pack members reassure him.

 

“So,” Sungmin begins, leaning close. “What excites you about the idea of having a child?”

 

Kyuhyun gets that familiar flutter in his tummy that he’s been having for the past couple of days. “Honestly? I think….I think….”

 

“Everything?” Hyukjae guesses, impatient.

 

Sungmin hisses at him to let Kyuhyun speak but trails off as Kyuhyun nods shyly.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, Hae can do the diaper thing, but...yeah...I think Mina’s showed me what it could be like to have a child, how terrifying and also exhilarating it is.” Kyuhyun says softly, feeling himself blush under the intense gaze his members were giving him.

 

"And...?" Hyukjae prompted.

 

Kyuhyun have a light shrug. "It's just...something new. I've never really been exposed to children much, and being around her..."

 

"Changes everything?" Sungmin guessed, earning a nod.

 

"But, I don't know. Mina's eight months old already. What would it be like taking care of a newborn?"

 

Hyukjae hummed. "Exhilarating," he told the younger. "Newborns are...fragile. Weak. But that's what makes it so exhilarating."

 

Kyuhyun bit his lip, staring at his drink. He didn't know what to think, but as he recalled more about his time with Mina and Donghae, he knew there was a decision to be made.

 

He just had to find the courage first.

  


 

 

 

"She's so adorable, hyung," Jonghyun gushed as he watched Mina giggle and clap her hands together whilst watching a show.

 

Donghae smiled. "You should tell Taeyeon that. This little angel is hers, after all."

 

Siwon shifted a bit. "Have you...thought about having your own kids?"

 

Blinking, his alpha gazed at him curiously.

 

The younger lifted his hands in defense. "Just curious! You seem such a natural that it would probably make a little sense you'd want to have children of your own someday."

 

"I have Jjong as a kid. Does he count?"

 

"No," Siwon said, earning a pout from Jonghyun. "No offense, of course."

 

"None taken," Jonghyun sighed. "But he's got a point, hyung. Have you?"

 

Donghae shrugged. "Sometimes," he mumbled. "But I haven't talked to Kyuhyun about it until recently and that's because he got curious."

 

"And what did you tell him?"

 

The alpha was quiet, watching Mina as she giggled at something the character on the screen did.

 

He sighed. "I told him to get back to me once he's completely sure about having a family of our own," he admitted. "Kyu's so nervous about kids. You should've seen him the very first time he met Mina."

 

"That's a completely normal reaction, though," Siwon pointed out.

 

“And it’s different when it’s your own kid,” Jonghyun adds.

 

“I’m not going to push him about it, or the topic itself,” Donghae sighs, tensing slightly when Mina wobbled as she tried to get up onto her hands and knees. “He’ll come to me when he’s ready.”

 

“And what if he never is, hyung?” Jonghyun asks carefully.

 

Donghae swallows. “Then, I’ll not pursue the matter no further.”

 

“Even though you adore kids?” Siwon questions.

 

“My mate comes first,” Donghae firmly states. “I don’t want him to do something just to keep me happy whilst it would make him miserable. That’s not fair.”

 

“But it wouldn’t be fair if Kyuhyun said no,” Jonghyun weakly states, and bows his head in apology at the hard stare Donghae gives him.

 

“Let’s get off this topic,” Siwon intervenes quickly, the mood souring a little. “What time is Taeyeon picking her up tomorrow?”

 

“Sometime in the evening,” Donghae says, getting up to stop Mina from leaving the living area.

 

As Mina kicks in his hands, babbling away, Donghae smiles and tucks her close to him as he sits back down with her on his lap.

 

As he gently strokes her fair hair, Donghae can’t help but repeat Jonghyun’s words in his mind.

 

Could he really be happy without a child? It’s something Donghae hasn’t really thought about himself.

 

Looks like he needed to do some thinking of his own.

  


 

 

 

“Was she good?” Taeyeon asks as she rocks Mina.

 

Both of them nod. “She was good as gold,” Donghae assures as he grabs Mina’s collapsed travel cot.

 

Kyuhyun grabs Mina’s bags and follows them out of the apartment.

 

“Well then, I guess I know who to call if I ever need a babysitter,” Taeyeon teases as they get into the elevator.

 

Donghae chuckled. "You know all you have to do is ask, Taeyeon."

 

Taeyeon giggled. "Thanks for watching her, Oppas."

 

"It's no problem."

 

"Say bye, Mina," Taeyeon cooed at her daughter.

 

Mina made gurgling sounds, reaching out for them, earning smiles from everyone.

 

"Be a princess for your mother, darling," Donghae said, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

 

Kyuhyun smiled at Mina whilst his mate put everything into Taeyeon's car. "We'll see you again."

 

Smiling as her daughter continued to make cooing sounds, Taeyeon placed her into her baby seat, buckling her in safely. Once Mina was secure, she turned around and hugged Donghae. "Thanks again, Oppa."

 

"No problem."

 

Taeyeon pulled back and smiled brightly at Kyuhyun. "Thank you, Kyuhyun-Oppa!"

 

Smiling, Kyuhyun nodded, leaning against Donghae as they watched Taeyeon get into her car, waving at them one last time before driving off.

 

As soon as the car was out of sight, Donghae sighed. "There they go."

 

"It'll be quiet now," Kyuhyun remarked as they headed back up to their apartment.

 

Hearing his mate hum, Kyuhyun peered up at Donghae curiously.

 

"Hae?"

 

"Hmm?"

 

Kyuhyun shuffled a bit. "I was thinking..."

 

"About what?"

 

The younger breathed out. "About having kids of our own."

 

That got Donghae to freeze in his tracks, clearly surprised by his words. Stunned, he looked at his mate with wide eyes. "What?"

 

"I think it's time we've talked about this properly."

 

“Well then, let’s not have it here in the car park,” Donghae lightly jokes, though Kyuhyun notes the slight shakiness to his voice.

 

As they ride the elevator back up, they stay silent.

 

Kyuhyun reads his mate, noting the shadow of worry creeping into his mate’s eyes.

 

Kyuhyun glances away at seeing it, leading them out of the elevator and to their apartment.

 

Once inside, Donghae lags behind him as he heads to the couch.

 

“You look scared,” Kyuhyun states as Donghae slowly sits down.

 

Donghae jerks at the sound of his voice, shaking his head rapidly. “You’ve just caught me off guard, wanting to talk about it so soon.”

 

Kyuhyun shrugs a little. “It needs addressing sooner, rather than later.”

 

Grabbing his mate’s hands, Kyuhyun takes a deep breath, stomach fluttering with nerves.

 

“So…” Donghae begins, and then shuts up as Kyuhyun looks at him. “Go ahead.”

 

“So, you said for me to think about us having kids of our own, and I have.” Donghae nods, encouraging him to carry on. “And I’ve come to a decision.”

 

Donghae inhales deeply before laughing a little. “I kinda got that part, Hyun.”

 

Kyuhyun pinches his hand at the smart comment. “You ready?” he asks softly, and Donghae gives a slow nod, his eyes shielding his anxiety, but not good enough for it to be hidden properly.

 

Kyuhyun squeezes Donghae’s hands. “I want us to have kids.”

 

Donghae lets out a gust of air, his eyes losing the anxiety to be replaced with relief and happiness. “Seriously?”

 

Kyuhyun smiles shyly as he nods. “Seriously.”

 

Kyuhyun makes a surprised sound as Donghae kisses him, hands cradling his face.

 

Kyuhyun returns the kiss, feeling his mate’s joy as his own spills out.

 

“Just one thing though,” Kyuhyun says as he pulls away, but not far. “Let’s wait a couple of more years, enjoying our time with each other more before we add a new addition.”

 

Donghae kisses him whilst nodding his head slightly.

 

Returning the kiss, Kyuhyun clung to his mate as Donghae pushed him back against the couch, gripping his shoulders tightly.

 

"You deserve a reward for being such an understanding mate," Donghae mumbled as soon as he pulled away.

 

Kyuhyun blushed. "Then give it to me," he told him with a smirk.

 

Donghae laughed before leaning down again to kiss him deeply.

 

As they progressed from there, all Kyuhyun could think about was them and their future with another one of their own joining them.

 

A child they could call their own.

 

And despite Kyuhyun's initial fear of children, he learned to embrace the idea of having them. Having a child that belonged to him and Donghae excited him, but he knew it was too soon.

 

Maybe in a couple of years.

 

And it was all thanks to Mina - the little darling that helped change his views and see a future with a family of their own added in.

 

 

 


End file.
